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Apr 30, 2015 10:10 AM CST
Hilo HI
Beekeeper
I wouldn't worry at all about the azaleas anywhere. First of all, bees can fly several miles, so anywhere near the house would be fair game to them. But honeybees don't seem to visit azalea flowers. Even if they did, the Rhododendron genus plants in the US aren't toxic (except some in the Pacific NW and of course mountain laurel). Also, since the bees aren't adapted to the toxin, they'd be more likely to die themselves before they successfully made honey out of the nectar.

I have two hives in the N. Georgia mountains that are surrounded by mountain laurel, and never have gotten bad honey. I've also never seen a honeybee on the mountain laurel flower at all.

See the website below:

http://www.paghat.com/toxichon...
Last edited by pathdoc Apr 30, 2015 10:11 AM Icon for preview

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